Methods of manufacturing goodyear welt shoes



March 20, 1962 B. FAKE ET AL 3,025,544

METHODS OF MANUFACTURING GOODYEAR WELT SHOES Filed Aug. 28, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Inventors flurry E. Fake Leonard 6. Curf/rz /8 55 fheir Attorney March 20, 1962 H. B. FAKE ET AL 3,025,544

METHODS OF MANUFACTURING GOODYEAR WELT SHOES Filed Aug. 28, 1959 2 SheetsSheet 2 This invention relates to improvements in methods of manufacturing Goodyear welt shoes. More particularly, the invention is concerned with shoes of the type in which a seam is sewn around the lower portion of the upper along a line located close to the crease between the upper and the welt, in the case of a Goodyear welt shoe, or between the upper and the outsole in the case of a nonwelt shoe.

Recently, provision of such a seam on shoes, particularly on light, flexible mens shoes, has gained considerable vogue as a style characteristic. As heretofore practised, such seams have been sewn through the upper and have served a purely ornamental or decorative purpose.

It is an object of the present invention to produce a shoe having a seam of the type referred to sewn around the lower margin of the upper which has been secured in lasted position to an insole rib, in such manner that the stitches of the seam extend through the portion of the upper which overlies the edge face of the insole, through the insole edge, and into the channel between the rib and the insole body, whereby the seam fulfills the dual function of imparting a decorative effect to the shoe, especially if threads of contrasting color are used, and of providing additional means securing the upper to the insole.

As currently practised, the sewing of the ornamental seam is performed prior to attachment of a welt or of the outsole of a non-welt shoe, and the insertion of the stitches in a uniform row around the shoe and at a uniform distance from the feather edge of the lasted shoe is entirely dependent upon the skill and judgment of the operator of the sewing machine.

In accordance with the method of the invention, a shoe upper first is lasted and secured to an insole rib and a welt is secured to the overlasted margin of the upper and to the rib by a chain stitch seam laid in the channel between the rib and the insole body, the welted shoe being thereafter presented to a lockstitch shoe sewing machine having stitch forming devices including a curved hook needle and work supporting or guiding means, and in which the shoe is guided relatively to the stitch forming devices in a manner such as to maintain the welt of the shoe at a generally uniform distance from the operating point of the needle and to cause the stitches to be inserted through the portion of the upper which overlies the edge face of the insole, through the edge of the insole, and into the channel between the rib and the insole obliquely to the tread surface of the insole and along a line generally parallel to and spaced a uniform distance from the welt.

The above and other features of the invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings,

FIG. 1 is a view in side elevation and partly in section of the forepart portion of a welted shoe provided with a seam sewn around the lower margin of the upper in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a partial cross sectional view of a welted shoe the upper of which has been secured in lasted position t States atent by a chainstitch seam to a two-ply rib attached to an unchanneled insole, and further united to the insole by a lockstitch seam sewn in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 3 is a similar view of a shoe, the upper of which has been lasted to the rib of a channeled insole;

FIG. 4 is a view in front elevation of the toe end of the shoe shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a detail view in front elevation of the stitch forming instrumentalities of a lockstitch sewing machine for sewing a seam around the lower portion of a shoe pp FIG. 6 is a detail view in side elevation of the parts shown in FIG. 5, the shoe being shown in cross section;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view on an enlarged scale of a work support and a presser foot of the machine shown in FIG. 5 in cooperative relation to guide the insertion of a scam in a shoe;

PEG. 8 is a fragmentary view of a chainstitch inseam sewing machine;

FIG. 9 is a view in cross section of a portion of a shoe illustrating a modification of the invention according to which the shoe upper is temporarily secured in lasted position to a detachable rib and subsequently secured to the insole by a seam sewn in accordance with the inr vention; and

FIG. 10 is a view of the shoe shown in FIG. 9 after removal of the temporary rib and attachment of an outsole.

To produce a shoe in accordance with the invention, an insole 2t) is mounted upon a last 22, the insole having a rib 24 which may be provided by a ribbed strip, as illustrated in FIG. 2, that is attached to an unchanneled insole as disclosed, for example, in United States Letters Patent No. 2,774,699 granted December 18, 1956, upon application of A. S. Clark. If preferred, the insole may be channeled, as illustrated in FIG. 3, and the rib formed by cementing together the raised channel lips in accordance with the usual Goodyear welt process. An upper, identified generally by the reference numeral 26 and comprising an outer layer 28, which may be leather or the like, and a lining 30, is then pulled over, lasted, and secured in lasted position to the insole rib by cement, staples, or any other suitable means.

The lasted shoe is then presented to a chainstitch inseam sewing machine of the type, for example, disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 1,971,575, granted August 28, 1934 upon application of A. R. Merrill. As shown in FIG. 8, this machine is provided with stitch forming devices including a curved hook needle 32, a curved awl 34, a looper 36, a thread finger 38, and a channel guide 40. In this machine a welt 42 is secured to the lasted margin of the upper 26 and to the insole rib 24 by a chainstitch seam 44 (FIGS. 1, 2 and 3) the chain of which seam is laid on the welt and the single thread portions of the stitches are laid in the channel 46 formed between the rib and the adjacent portion of the body of the insole 20, the stitches of the seam passing through the rib, the upper 26, and the welt 42 in a plane substantially parallel to the tread surface of the insole, or inclined somewhat at an angle downwardly and outwardly from the channel. The welt is then beaten to cause it to lie in a plane subtantially parallel to the tread surface of the insole, and the surplus material of the lasted margin of the upper and the rib is trimmed in accordance with the usual practice.

The shoe thus prepared is next presented to a loclcstitch sewing machine, portions of which are illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, and in which a lockstitch seam 48 is laid in the channel 46 along a line generally parallel to the chainstitch seam 44. As more clearly illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 6, the stitches of the seam 48 pass through the base of the channel 46, the edge face of the insole 2t), and through the portion of the upper 26 which overlies the edge face of the insole, at an angle extending upwardly and outwardly from the channel, emerging on the exposed surface of said portion of the upper along a line located substantially midway between the upper and lower surfaces of the insole, as shown in FIG. 1.

The machine employed for inserting the lockstitch seam 48 in accordance with the method of the present invention may be of the type disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 2,271,611, granted February 3, 1942, upon application of Fred Ashworth et al., having the usual stitch forming devices including a curved hook needle 50, a looper 52, a loop taker or shuttle 54, a work support or table, generally indicated by the reference numeral 56 (FIG. 7), and a presser foot 58.

The table 56 is formed with a work-engaging surface 60 adapted to act in opposition to the thrust of the needle 50, a face 62 at an acute angle to the work-engaging surface, and a ridge 64 between the last-named surface and the face 62, with an apex, the line of which intersects the path of the needle for engagement with the bottom of the insole channel 46 to guide the insertion of the stitches through the bulging surface of the upper 26, diagonally through the outer edge of the insole 20 and with certainty into the channel.

The presser foot 58 is provided with a concave curvature 66 (FIG. 7) fitting the bulging last-supported portion of the shoe upper, to clamp it against the workengaging surface 60 of the table 56. The presser foot is also provided with a lip 68 adapted to engage in the crease between the Welt 42 and the bulging portion of the upper 26 to guide the spacing of the stitches from the crease, thereby to insure that the stitches of the seam will be inserted at a substantially uniform distance from the crease between the upper and the welt.

To insert the lockstitch seam 48 in accordance with the invention, the operator will present the welted shoe to the machine in the position illustrated in FIG. 6, and after locating the shoe on the work support 56 with the ridge 64 Within the channel, will guide the shoe with relation to the stitch forming instrumentalities in such manner as to maintain the welt 42 at a uniform distance from the operating point of the needle 50. By thus guiding the shoe, the needle will be caused to sew the stitches of the seam diagonally through the bulging portion of the lasted upper and through the edge face of the insole and into the base of the channel, as above explained. After sewing the seam 48 the shoe may be comleted in known manner, as by applying bottom filler, laying an outsole 70, and sewing together the outsole and the welt by a lockstitch seam 72, followed by the usual finishing operations of rough rounding, edge trimming, edge setting, and heel setting, and heel attaching.

FIGS. 9 and illustrate the application of the method of the present invention to the manufacture of flat lasted shoes with cement attached outsoles. In this construction the upper 26 is temporarily lasted to a rib or lip provided by a detachable strip 74, such as an adhesive tape, at tached to the margin of the insole placed on the bottom of the last 22. After the lasting of the upper, a seam 48 is laid in the manner described above in the channel between the lip or strip 74 and the tread surface of the insole, the stitches of the seam passing through the edge of the insole and through the portion of the upper which overlies the edge face of the insole. After sewing the seam 48, the strip 74 may be removed, as shown in FIG. 9, whereupon the lasting margin of the upper may be turned inwardly over the cemented margin of the insole and permanently bonded thereto, as shown in FIG. 10, the shoe being thereafter completed by cement attaching an outsole 70. It will be understood that the strip 74 may, if preferred, be left in the shoe and adhesively secured, together with the upper, to the insole margin.

The shoe made by the method as above described offers the advantage of being provided around its forepart with a decorative seam around the lower portion of the upper, which is a desirable style characteristic, and the further advantage of having its upper additionally secured to the insole, resulting in a more durable construction and a greatly enhanced appearance by guarding against collapse of the feather line usually caused by pressure of the wearers foot against the bulging portion of the upper at the crease between it and the welt.

Certain features of the invention disclosed but not claimed specifically herein form the subject matter of a divisional application for Shoe Sewing Machines, Ser. No. 119,930 filed June 27, 1961.

Having thus described our invention, What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

I. That improvement in methods of manufacturing Goodyear welt shoes which comprises lasting the component parts of an upper over an insole and securing them in lasted position to a rib on the insole, securing a welt to the lasted margin of said upper and to the insole rib by a seam located in the channel formed by said rib with the adjacent portion of the insole body, and thereafter additionally uniting said upper and the insole by a second seam located in said channel and the stitches of which pass through the base of said channel, the edge face of the insole, and the portion of the lasted upper which overlies said edge face and extend on the outer surface of said portion of the upper along a line generally parallel to the welt and at a uniform distance therefrom around the periphery of the shoe.

2. That improvement in methods of manufacturing Goodyear welt shoes which comprises the steps of lasting the component parts of an upper over an insol supported on a last and securing them in lasted position to a rib on said insole, securing a welt to the lasted margin of said upper and to the insole rib by a seam laid in the channel formed by said rib with the adjacent portion of the insole, and thereafter additionally securing the lasted upper to the insole by a second seam laid in said channel by guiding the shoe with the welt maintained in engagement with a presser foot of a sewing machine at a uniform distance from the operating point of a needle of the machine to cause the stitches to be inserted diagonally through the outer edge of the insole and through the portion of the upper overlying said insole edge at a uniform distance from the welt around the periphery of the shoe.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,375,999 iBlake Apr. 26, 1921 1,681,279 Bowers Aug. 21, 1928 2,083,938 Belyea June 15, 1937 2,517,103 Fredericksen Aug. 1, 1950 2,525,858 Boothroyd Oct. 17, 1950 2,605,559 Vail Aug. 5, 1952 2,647,478 Eastman Aug. 4, 1953 2,704,851 Simmons et al Mar. 29, 1955 2,832,975 Pearsall et al. May 6, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,056,002 Germany Apr. 23, 1950 

